That is such an important question because there is a huge difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.  It’s the same as ‘believing about’ and ‘believing in’ the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is very possible to acknowledge many things as historically correct.  Things such as the creation of man, Noah and the Ark, the life of Abraham, David and Goliath, Jonah and the whale, the life and death of Jesus Christ, the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul, etc.  It is possible to believe that these people lived, and these events happened yet have no faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  A good example of ‘head knowledge’ is found in James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”  To acknowledge that there is one God is a good thing.  It is a first step that can lead you to believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.  However, even the demons realize there is only one God.

To ‘believe in’ or have ‘heart knowledge’ comes from faith.  We read in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  Believing in the Lord’s existence is essential, but one must also believe He is who He says He is.  He is “a rewarder of them that diligently SEEK HIM.”  So, you may believe ABOUT God, but do you trust Him, do you have FAITH in Him?  Have you SOUGHT the Lord?  Isaiah 55:6 tells us to “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”

Some examples of ‘heart knowledge’ are:

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH IN him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Acts 16:31 – “And they said, BELIEVE ON the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Galatians 3:26 – “For ye are all the children of God by FAITH IN Christ Jesus.”

Someone has said that the distance between the head and the heart is about 18 inches.  By having ‘head knowledge’ of the Lord and not ‘heart knowledge’, you will miss Heaven by 18 inches.  Head knowledge is important and necessary, but unless we make that knowledge personal by putting it in our lives, it does us no good.  We read of that in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in MINE HEART, that I might not sin against thee.”  We also read of the value of the heart in Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt BELIEVE IN THINE HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVETH unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  Of course, the heart is a blood pumping organ and is incapable of thinking and feeling, but the Word of God uses the heart to illustrate the essence of a person.  What is in our hearts is what leads, motivates, and inspires us.

I’m reminded of the saying by the old writer and teacher J. Vernon McGee.  He said: “The Bible.  Know it in your head.  Stow it in your heart.  Show it in your life.  Sow it in the world.”  (367.2)